SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, TOCOPHEROLS AND TOCOTRIENOLS BY HPLC WITH FLUORESCENCE DETECTION IN FOODS

Alpha-Tocopheryl acetate (alpha-TAc), the four tocopberols (T), and four tocotrienols (T3) as well as plastochromanol-8 (P-8) were analyzed simultaneously with HPLC using fluorescence detection. Elution from an HPLC diol-column with a gradient composed of n-hexane and tert-butylmethylether resulted in a baseline separation of all compounds. For their isolation from infant formulas, breakfast cereals, multivitamin juices and isotonic beverages, suitable sample preparations were developed. In this way, higher recoveries were obtained than with the usual procedures based on saponification of the foods.